The surrealistic morning wind blew at towards my direction as I walked to school from the train station. It was a simple and quiet embrace. As I approached the school, the silence was turned into a fiesta of sounds generated by the students conversing in cliques around the courtyard. Placing my bag down, I found a quiet spot where my friends and me seat everyday. We began discussing the simplicities of life.
Within the twinkle of an eye, it was already the moment where we were dispersed into the transport vehicles bound towards Camp Christine. I sat down and stared at the window, as I looked through the different scenes of Singapore. The bus moved from the places where life was lived to its fullest towards the far corners where buildings where rustic and surreal. Boredom.
We got off the bus. We were brought to a whole new environment. Everything around were simply grass and small dormitories. It was probably the hottest condition I have ever been based in. Every single time the clouds covered the sun, we would rejoice and as soon as it is blown away by the wind, we were yelping to get ourselves away from the hot sun. Finally, the briefings began and we were simply awaiting to get ourselves away from being fried. It was soon time to gather in groups and commence the pitching of tents.
As the sun continued to shine intermittently at us, we finished the pitching and it was time for the very first group activity. It was the building of simple rafts. Through the given materials, we began ultimate constructions. What seemed simple became a hassle. The scouts were leading the way in the tying of strings and the rest were trying their best. Time ran very quickly. It was soon time to transport our rafts to the allocated area where we would try it.
Our creation managed to move safely! The opposing team's creation had apparently capsized! We enjoyed the paddling and the waters. It was simply refreshing and it had undoubtedly brought back memories from a previous trip to Cebu, an adventure filled one. So once again, I decided to try the raft again. It was fun for the first few minutes until the moment where people were randomly splashing water at me. It was the moment when I tried dodging and my glasses dropped into the sea. My friends and I frantically tried to look high and low for it but it was in futile.
Everything around me just felt so messed up. Having bought the glasses six days before the camp and having it disappear was simply awesome. In addition, there were friends who actually mocked at me. There were also very good friends who guided me through like Benjamin Sim. It was through something so unfortunate that I found people who I could really trust.
There were many other activities during the day which fostered teamwork and friendship among the members. Mealtimes were the always awesome because it was a time of fellowship among our friends. It was soon time to get ourselves in our tents and sleep.
Day two began with breakfast and many major activities such as the the search for the plants. Rain was always on the loose, having many pauses here and there. We were practically building our gladiator built catapults in the shed. Ultimately, the best activity was the ''Nature Rumble''
Having seen many come back mud stricken, we were all devastated. We were all hoping that the rain would prevent us from going for it. After much encouragement from the team leaders, we decided to go for it after the briefing. Upon making our way to the jungle-filled area, I became totally excited! It was very very similar to the many outdoor experience I had in Cebu. It was totally awesome! As we began making our way through, memories began coming back to me. It was simply nostalgic. I still remember the times when I was totally afraid of the natural elements. Now, I enjoy every bit of it.
It started to rain down. The rain simply added coolness to the atmosphere. As we walked further, we reached the muddy corners. Mud was filled everywhere, to some it was total utter distraught. We had began to throw the mud around, it was simply fun and enjoyable. I also began my artwork on Sean Foo's shirt! Very soon, it was time to carry on and head back to base camp.
It was time to wash off the mud and shower. And very soon it was time for the Campfire! The music began to play and everyone around was dancing to the beats of 'Like A G6' and 'The Time (Dirty Bit) We retreated to our shed and we practiced our cheers. We headed to the campfire site. The commencement began as the fire was ignited by our principal Mrs Toh. It was her speech that left an impact on me, she had asked us to close our eyes and take in the breeze as we remember the moments of upturns and downturns we had during the camp. They would last a lifetime. The moment she mentioned of us being able to wear long pants, we were all excited and happy. I was virtually speechless. As the activities continued, I envisioned the maturity that we all had to have with the long pants.
As the fire died down, it was soon time for use to head back and sleep.
The final day was simply the striking of tents and for us to get back home. We were all equally tired.
No comments:
Post a Comment